JOPLIN, Mo. —
In light of the recent tornado, rather than the usual book review, I’d like to let everyone know about some of the materials we have that may be of use in the aftermath.
To begin with, we have lots of movies and light reading to help take your mind off your troubles for a bit. We have books in audio formats, including downloadable ones, as well as regular and large print. We have DVDs and VHS tapes for your viewing pleasure.
When you’re ready to get to work on what needs to be done, we have other things for you, too.
Many of us are suffering from stress, anything from being a little edgy to having post-traumatic stress disorder. We have self-help books and tapes, including meditation materials as well as information about professional therapies, including EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), and guides to help you find what therapy might work best for you and your loved ones. Physical activities can be helpful in coping with stress, and we have videos on yoga and other activities to help with that.
Once you’re in a better frame of mind, we also have lots of materials for you if you are one of the people displaced from your job. Resumes, interviewing skills, what sort of job might be best suited to your personality, education and skills -- we have all that.
If you are one of the many whose home was destroyed or damaged, we have a lot for you. If you’re a renter, we have information on renter’s rights and leases.
If you’re rebuilding or repairing your home, we have books and videos to help there. We have home plan books, materials on green/sustainable architecture, books on how to hire a contractor, designing your home, and books on every room in the house.
Kitchens, bathrooms, we have it. Floors, ceilings, roofs, foundations? Covered. Mold and mildew? Got it.
Considering a prefabricated house to speed things along? We have books for you. Interested in structural insulated panel construction? We have a book on that.
Thinking about concrete construction for its wind resistance? We have that, too, as well as steel construction. Want to go solar? We have quite a bit of information on solar building, both active and passive.
In addition to the hundreds of materials on building that the library already owned when the tragedy struck, we are adding many more. We had received a grant from the Missouri State Library a few months ago to beef up our health materials and children’s award books.
After the tornado, the state library offered to boost the grant to cover materials to help in the tornado’s aftermath, including replacing some of our lost materials and adding new things on building, health, etc. We have already begun ordering and receiving those materials, and they will continue to come in for the next three months.
We have ordered dozens of books on home building and repair as well as a few things to help with mental health and stress issues. We will also be ordering materials on landscaping, so we’ll be ready when you are.
So, if you don’t find what you’re looking for today to help you in your recovery, keep an eye on the new books list on our catalog at jpl.polaris library.com. You can also fill out a suggestion-for-purchase slip at the library or do one online at the same website.
Our staff is ready to help you find materials in the library and any other information you need to help during this trying time. Come see what we have to offer.
Linda Cannon is a collection development/circulation librarian for the Joplin Public Library.
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Linda Cannon, book review: Library rife with resources for storm victims
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